Eels Blogs

Whilst "One swallow doesn't make a summer", Eels fans will be hoping last week's tough win against the reigning premiers is a sign of things to come. In a rare 80 minute performance, the Eels haven't been known for toughing out games and icing the big moments against quality opposition. At times, the Eels made the out of sorts Storm look more Eels-like than Storm with some flat footed clunky attack. The Sharks meanwhile, last week, did what the Eels are well known for. They played a game of split personalities. Actually, winning consistently against top eight teams hasn't been a feature of these two teams. The Eels have also struggled against the Sharks over the years. It sets the scene for an intriguing battle.

Following last week's victory, for the first time in our history we've won 2 consecutive games to start the season for 3 consecutive seasons.

We didn't manage that in our glory years, though we came close. Also, if we win against the Sharks this week, it will be only the second time in our history we've every started two consecutive seasons with 3 wins. The last time was forty years ago, in 1980-1981, marking the beginning of the glory years.

Teams: tommorrow night

Eels, understrength:
1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo (LHS) 3. Tom Opacic (LHS) 4. Marata Niukore was brave last week (RHS) 5. Blake Ferguson (RHS) 6. Dylan Brown (RHS) 7. Mitchell Moses (LHS) 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane (RHS) 12. Isaiah Papali’i (LHS) 13. Nathan Brown (playing for a contract with...?)
Bench: 14. Oregon Kaufusi 15. Keegan Hipgrave 16. Will Smith 17. Ray Stone
Reserves: 18. Jordan Rankin 19. Haze Dunster 29. David Hollis 21. Joey Lussick
Injuries and outs: Bryce Cartwright (broken jaw, round 4-5), Michael Oldfield (knee, round 5-6), Waqa Blake (calf, round 6), Ryan Matterson (head knock, indefinite), Michael Jennings (stood down, indefinite).
Head Coach: Brad Arthur (since 2014-present, in his eighth year)

Sharks, also understrength:
1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa (RHS) 3. Josh Dugan (LHS) 4. Connor Tracey (RHS) 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan (LHS) 7. Chad Townsend (RHS) 8. Braden Hamlin-Uele 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Aaron Woods 11. Briton Nikora (RHS) 12. Wade Graham (LHS) 13. Toby Rudolf
Bench: 14. Teig Wilton 15. Aiden Tolman 16. Jack Williams 17. Billy Magoulias
Reserves: 18. Mawene Hiroti 19. Nene Macdonald 20. Andrew Fifita 21. Braydon Trindall
Injuries and Outs: Jesse Ramien (suspension, round 5), Royce Hunt (knee, round 7), Siosifa Talakai (shoulder, round 7), Bronson Xerri (suspended), Shaun Johnson (Achilles, round 7-8), Jackson Ferris (foot, round 10)
Head Coach: John Morris (since 2019-present, in his third year)

Sharks four year hoodoo is over: Eels have won last 2 of 3

The Eels have won 2 of the last 3 against Cronulla by 2 points and 12 points, with Arthur holding a narrrow 2-1 lead over Morris.

The Eels won the last game against the Sharks, 14-12, at Kogarah, in round 13 last year (see video below). Splash, splash. It wasn't without some good fortune.

The last time the Sharks beat the Eels was back in 2019. In round 13, 42-22, at home at Endeavour Field on a Saturday night.

But, before that from 2015, for over four years Arthur failed to win a single game against the Flanagan's Sharks losing 5 straight matches, against the Sharks. 5-0.

Sharks last beat a top eight team in 2019: Zilch, last year

Though they came close once or twice last year, the Sharks didn't beat a single top eight team, and were arguably the weakest team in the 2020 top eight.

Indeed, the last time the Sharks beat a top eight team was in 2019 in round 20, 39-24, at home at Endeavour Field, on a Saturday night.

Under Morris' tenure, now in his third year, from 2018, the Sharks have only beaten top 8 teams 8 times - and only four teams Storm (three times), Penrith (three times), Eels (once), and Souths (once).

Since the 2019 and the end of Flanagan's reign they lost their aura of toughness and resilience. They've lost the likes of Holmes, Luke Lewis, Matt Prior, Josh Morris, Xerri, Maloney (left end of 2017), Gallen (retired end of 2017) and Fifita has gone downhill and is on his last legs (literally). That's a lose of a lot of firepower and experience. Under the circumstances, Morris has done a good job in rebuilding the club and culture. However, just like the Eels, they've got Jeckyl and Hyde moments, and can be brittle defensively when pressured by quality teams. Are the Sharks in a devolving cycle?

Eels' last week: outstanding defence and executing opportunities 

Round 2: Eels looked in control for much of the match, and managed to scrape past the Storm, 16-12 despite only 45% possession and losing Matto to an ugly incident.

Eels' Stengths

• Performed in the key moments with an 80 minute performance, one of the most complete under Arthur's reign against the reigning premiers. More patience shown too; less frantic, dumb play. Took control of the game; put Storm off their game, who expected to be able to barge over and win.
• Kicking game was on: Moses, Mahoney and Dylan.
• Outstanding scrambling defence, which we saw last year as well. Gutherson's perpetual try saving moments. We lost count of how many he saved. No less than three. And a special mention for Mahoney's save on Fox's in-goal grubber.
• More direct and cohesive attack that was less flat footed attack and able to take advantage of offloads and second phase play.
• Mahoney has improved. First half dummy half was promising. And great vision, to set up Junior's critical try, to take advantage of Storm's weak link between Smoothy and Hughes on their right edge.
• The Fijian Superhero and cult hero Sivo's two magic to take two miraculous kicks, who has now scored 26 tries from 24 games at Bankwest

Let's just see the Fijian Superhero upset the Storm one more time: Sivo, Sivo, Sivo.

Eels' Weaknesses

• Despite the wet weather conditions, we still need more juice from our attack, especially from the running games of dangermen Moses, Dylan and Mahoney. Dylan tried at times to inject himself, but Moses was occasionally running sideways again. Mahoney's running game in the first half behind the ruck and support play helped put the entire attack on the front foot and contributed to our first try. That seemed to cease up in the second half.
• We can't expect to win every game off kicks (nor Sivo facing George Jennings every week), nor Gutho's last line of defence. Alone. We need more.
• We had control of the game for large portions, and had the Storm on the ropes at times, but couldn't put the Storm away. And, we gave them a sniff and chance of victory. The weather was probably a contributor and equalizer. However, the Storm had some lost opportunities, and weren't as well-oiled and well game-managed as they were in many Cameron Smith's days. Not to mention Cheese's dummy half service wasn't fabulous. Caution must be taken to read too much into this game, subject to further evidence.

Storm against the Eels missed Smith's nous, calm and game management. Bellamy: "I thought our effort was tremendous..[but] we didn't play smart"

Brad Arthur: "Moses was the difference" against the Storm

Sharks last week: inconsistent biters with split personality

The Sharks were toothless in the first half last week against the Raiders in an error-riddled Lane-a-thon. Making errors and missing tackles for fun. They were very fortunate to be down only 0-12 at half time with the Raiders failing to capitalise. In the second half they woke from their trance swinging the tide of possesion, reducing their errors and missed tackles to almost snatch the game from the jaws of defeat.

Last week v Raiders: The Sharks almost snatched the game from the Raiders, 10-12.

Cronulla's Stengths

• Showed some courage and ability to come back from 0-12 at half-time.
• They can get a roll on in the middle through their big men, sporadically, making considerable more run metres than the Raiders.
• Sharks right hand side attack was the most lethal in the competition last year, scoring the most tries: Townsend, Nikora and Katoa looked dangerous. The Sharks also showed their attacking flair to run away with the Saints game in round one, 32-18.
• Townsend's short kicking game set up all of Shark's tries for Dugan on the left and Kennedy through the middle.
• Kennedy chimed in well on both the left and right running for 172m, scored a try, made some busts, and looked dangerous at times. He's developing well, and showing glimpses of the legendary Peachey.

Cronulla's Weaknesses

• The Sharks' at times fragile defence: They missed 49 tackles in total: not just on the right hand side, but on the left edges and sometimes through the middle as well.
• Off and On. First half Lane-a-thon. They made a mountain of errors (11), had a 50% completion rate, missed tackles for fun (43 in 1st half) and were very fortunate to be down only 0-12 whilst enjoying only 40% of possession.
• Townsend goal-kicking. Only 1 from 4 converted. He couldn't ice had two bites at the cherry to equalise from 10-12 down from the left touch line one 2 seconds from the end.
• Spine still evolving. Moylan can be hit and miss. They need Johnson, and probably need more from Graham.

Bottom Line

Both the Sharks and the Eels have shown Jekyll and Hyde split personalities, and the warning signs are already there, this year.  The Sharks displayed it last week against the Raiders in the first half, whilst the Eels exposed it in the first half of round 1 versus the Broncos. The Storm game should be the benchmark for the Eels. Nothing less is acceptable.

As Brad Arthur noted earlier this week after the gritty Storm win: "That's the challenge for us: being that team, week in, week out". 

This could be another tight one, considering our last two wins over the Sharks were by 12 or less, but who knows? Which Sharks' team will show up? Which Eels' team will show up? Will the Eels start to show some consistency? Will either or both team? This is an opportunity for the Eels to show that last week's gritty win over the Storm means something.